How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Kitchen

Ants are a common kitchen pest and enter the kitchen through small cracks in windows, doors, and floors. If you have ants in your kitchen, killing every insect in sight won’t solve the problem. There’s likely an ant colony nearby where ants are traveling back and forth with morsels of food. 

Luckily, you can usually get rid of ants in your kitchen and prevent more from coming back without professional help. Learn how to get rid of ants with a few simple solutions.

What Kind of Ants Are Found in the Kitchen?

These are the most common types of ants found in the kitchen:

• Pavement ants: These ants have brownish-black bodies and pale-colored legs. Pavement ants also have two spines at the end of the thorax. 
• Odorous house ants: These ants work in large numbers since they have colonies with many queens. They are black or brown in color and have a distinct smell, often described as rotten coconuts. 
• Carpenter ants: Carpenter ants gravitate to moist, decaying wood outdoors and in homes. They are large ants and are reddish-orange to black in color. If you notice any wood shavings or hollow wooden structures, carpenter ants are a likely culprit.
  

Signs of an Ant Infestation

A few ants in your kitchen are usually nothing to worry about, but if the number continues to grow, an ant infestation could be a possibility. Look out for these clues for an infestation:

• You see trails of ants coming and going from your house. Ants leave pheromone trails for other ants to follow to find food. If you see trails of ants going toward or away from your home, you could have an infestation.
  
• You see piles of dirt around your home. Ant nests look like piles of dirt and if you have multiple around your house, it could be the cause of the ants in your kitchen.
  
• You hear rustling noises in your walls. If you listen carefully and hear unusual sounds in your walls, it’s likely the ants are traveling through them.
  
• Your wooden structures are crumbling or have sawdust near them. Wooden structures that sound hollow or have piles of sawdust beneath them are a sign you have ants that like to burrow into wood, such as carpenter ants.
  
  

6 Ways to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

Ants in a kitchen are not just a nuisance, they can spread bacteria and even damage the foundation of your home. Try to solve your ant problem on your own by following these simple steps.

Clean Thoroughly

Ants are attracted to sugar and greasy food. The most effective way to get rid of ants in the kitchen is by keeping your space clean. Stay on top of kitchen cleaning and avoid letting crumbs, spills, or food residue sit out in your kitchen for too long. Ants only need morsels of food, so look carefully for small crumbs in corners or under your cabinets that are easy to miss.

Store Food Properly

Place food in sealed containers to keep it safe from ants. Always put leftovers or additional food directly back into its container after use so ants can’t get into the open container or feast on the leftovers. Ants also like pet food, so be sure to place pet food in an airtight container and clean around the pet bowl.

Remove Moisture Sources

Ants are also attracted to water. Fix any leaky faucets or old plumbing fixtures to prevent ants from flocking to your water source. Keep areas dry and clean up water spills on counters and floors as soon as possible. Avoid any standing water, including houseplants and pet water bowls, in your kitchen. Damp towels can even be enough to attract ants, so replace towels regularly and consider putting towels near a fan to dry them out faster.

Use Natural Repellents

Ants rely on scents to find food and follow trails created by the colony. They are also deterred by certain scents, and there are natural repellents and remedies that can keep the colony away from your kitchen. Try some of these homemade solutions to detract ants and keep your kitchen clean: 

• Peppermint oil: Try peppermint oil to keep away ants. Place a few drops on a cotton swab or cotton pad. Then, distribute the peppermint pads around your kitchen, including under appliances, near the doorway, and in your pantry. 
• Citrus: Spray a solution of water and a few drops of lemon oil (you can also use lemon or orange juice) on your surfaces as you clean your kitchen. You can also try leaving out lemon or orange peels near entry points. 
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon sticks, powder, or oil can be used to keep ants away. Place cinnamon near entry points throughout the kitchen. 
• Coffee grounds: Sprinkling coffee grounds is another effective way to deter ants. Place coffee grounds in small bowls around your kitchen and sprinkle the grounds outside your doorway and in your yard to get rid of ants. 
• Cayenne pepper: Similar to cinnamon and coffee grounds, place cayenne pepper in small bowls around your kitchen and sprinkle it outside in your yard. The strong smell will keep ants away.
• Vinegar: Vinegar is another effective home remedy to deter ants. Clean your kitchen using a solution of water and white vinegar on surfaces. 
• Baking soda: Ants are naturally repelled by baking soda, so sprinkling this household staple around your kitchen and cracks and crevices around your home will keep the pests away. 
• Diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth is nontoxic, powdery substance and effective at getting rid of all kinds of insects, including ants. Place it around your garden and sprinkle the powder along your doorway and baseboards to keep ants out.

Seal Entry Points

Try finding the spot where the ants are getting into your home. Follow the ant trail to see if you can find the spot and go around your home to see if there are any other cracks or crevices you can block to prevent ants from entering. Seal up any entry points with caulk.

Target the Queen

Unfortunately, getting rid of ants is more complicated than only killing the worker ants you see in your home. The queen will continue to produce more worker ants, and may even split into two colonies, leaving you with a bigger pest problem. The only effective way to kill ants and fix the infestation is to target the queen. Choose solutions that ants will bring back to their colony and poison the nest.

Here are two solutions that focus on eliminating the queen and the entire colony:

• Borax and sugar: Create a mixture of ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of borax, and 1 cup of water. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and then place them throughout your kitchen and on the ant trail. Ants are attracted to the sugar and water from the mixture and they’ll end up taking the borax back to the nest to poison the colony.
• Commercial ant baits: Ant baits also target the queen by including poison that the worker ants take back to their nest. The bait poisons the entire colony, including the queen, so no new ants can be produced.
  

What Attracts Ants in the Kitchen?

Ants are attracted to food and water. Here are all the possible causes of why you’re seeing ants in the kitchen: 

• Crumbs or spills on kitchen surfaces
• Food sitting out uncovered 
• A leaky faucet or plumbing
• Standing water in pet water dishes or houseplants
• Cracks and crevices near windows and doors in the kitchen where ants can enter 

When to Call a Professional to Treat an Ant Infestation

Most ant problems can be solved within a week or two with DIY methods, especially if you’ve targeted the queen and the entire colony. If you’ve tried ant baits or the borax and sugar mixture and still have ants in your home after a few weeks, it’s time to call a professional who specializes in Integrated Pest Management.